US keen to transfer water management knowledge

SUKKUR: The United States is keen to transfer knowledge related to water resources management and measures to overcome climate change issues into Pakistan, a foreign environment expert said on Saturday.  

Jeffery Layton Ullman, a research associate from University of Utah, said the university is eager to provide technical support, education and modern applied research techniques in water sector to the country.  Ullman was addressing a two-day training workshop on ‘Climate Change Projections and its Impact on Water System Performance’.  The interactive sessions concluded on Saturday at US-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) of Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro.

Ullman, who is also a technical advisor to USPCAS-W, said such workshops will enhance the capacity of experts at the centre, “which will ultimately contribute to the development of Pakistan.” USPCAS-W has been established with the support of US Agency for International Development. University of Utah provides technical support to the centre, which is equipped with modern laboratories to conduct applied research on water sector and to produce water leaders in the country.

Bakhshal Khan Lashari, project director at USPCAS-W said development of human resources in water management sector will solve issues related to environment and climate change, which will bring prosperity and boost economy. 

Speakers said the workshop is aimed at to improve capacity of engineers, scientists, water managers and experts to understand and resolve climate change impacts on the water system performance. 

The workshop paved the way for knowledge in the area of climate impact as well as information about various research tools, they added. The speakers said apart from harnessing the technical skills of the participants, the workshop served as a strong platform for building of an effective network of experienced people.  Rakhshinda Bano, workshop resource person, said the discussion improved the comprehension of the participants regarding climate projections, vulnerability assessment and techniques across a range of applications.